A Hunter's Love
by ecrivain inspire
Summary: What if James had bigger plans in mind for Bella than just killing her? What happens when the hunter falls in love with it's prey?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey people. I just had this idea, and I don't think anyone has ever written about, so here's my attempt at it. Enjoy.**

_Preface_

(JPOV)

I was running with Laurent and Victoria, when we heard the sound of a coven playing a game of baseball. The couple looked at me for a signal on what we should do next. I deliberated for a minute, then nodded, so we changed direction, and headed towards the sound.

**This is officially my shortest chapter ever, but I'm going to start the next one after I post this. Three cheers for CSAP because that's the only reason I have time to write this. Also JPOV will always stand for James point of view in this story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I absolutely hate disclaimers, so I want you all to know that I am not and will never be Stephenie Meyer. If I was, then this story would be a whole lot better. I did base this chapter almost entirely on her chapter 17 and 18 from the book Twilight though.**

(EPOV)

I was so happy that Bella had agreed to come to the game that I was practically bouncing with joy. My family all looked at me with the same amused expressions on their faces. Everyone was showing off a bit for her. It was Carlisle's turn to bat, **(that sounds really weird, but I couldn't find a different way to say it.)** when Alice had a vision. I was at Bella's side in an instant.

As Alice explained what she saw, I scanned the forest for the approaching vampires.

"Can you make it?" Carlisle asked me.

I knew that I couldn't make it carrying Bella, and if I left, it could cause them to start hunting. As the conversation flowed around me I was filled with worry and self loathing. _How could I bring Bella into this? How could I endanger the life of such a perfect angel?_ The whole family was silent, waiting for Carlisle's final decision on what to do.

"Let's just continue the game, " Carlisle finally decided. "Alice said that they were simply curious." Esme turned to ask me a question.

"Are they thirsty?" she said so fast that her lips barely moved. I shook my no, and relief spread over her face. I told her to take my place, and sat down by Bella. As I stared at her, I tried desperately to think of a way to make her less appealing to vampires.

"Take your hair down." I told her trying to keep my voice under control. I breathed in her delicious smell as she took down her hair.

"The others are coming now."she said

"Yes, stay very still, keep quiet, and don't move, from my side please." no matter how hard I tried to hide it, I knew Bella could hear the stress in my voice. I tried to hide her face with her hair, but it was to no use. As everyone resumed the game, Bella turned to me.

"What did Esme ask you?" she whispered. I was once again amazed by how observant she was. No matter how I wished she wasn't.

"Whether they were thirsty." I muttered. I sat watching the forest for them, as Bella watched my family's halfhearted game.

"I'm sorry Bella," I said, furious at myself once again. "It was stupid, irresponsible, to expose you like this. I'm so sorry." Suddenly I smelled them. I stood up and took a defensive position in front of Bella. Seeing my reaction, the whole family stood up and turned towards the woods. 

The first vampire to finally come through the woods was the leader of the coven. As soon as he saw us he allowed the second male to take the lead. I knew from his thoughts that he meant to make us think that _Laurent _was the leader.Behind the 2 males came a female with bright red hair. Laurent's mate. They walked cautiously toward us, taking in our much larger family. Laurent·as smiling as he walked up to Carlisle.

"We thought we heard a game," he said in a relaxed tone, thanks to Jasper. As he introduced _his _coven, I scanned their thoughts to see if they had noticed Bella yet. Luckily, only James was curious about what was behind me. As Carlisle invited them to our house, a wind suddenly blew behind Bella, carrying her scent with it. 

James turned instinctively toward the smell, and dropped into a crouch. I bared my teeth at him and growled loudly. I knew I was scaring Bella, but I didn't care. Trying to get a better view of his target, James shifted to the side. I blocked his view, but not before he saw her. 

**I hope you like this chapter. This was mostly a filler to get to James's part. Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I can't believe you guys. I had 130 views when I left for supper, and I come back to over 400 views. Plus I had 9 more comments. I love you guys so much. Here is the JPOV chapter you guys having been waiting so patiently (even though it was only an hour) for.**

(JPOV)

As soon as I saw her, I felt my mouth drop open. All thoughts of hunting her down and killing her immediately left my mind. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. The vampire in front of her, Edward I think, stepped to the side, blocking my view of her. I growled. _How dare he try to claim her?_ There was no way I would allow him to steal away such a precious gift. In that second, all of my plans focused on winning her heart, then turning her into a vampire. Nothing was going to stop me from achieving my goal.

"She's with us." I heard the leader, Carlisle, say. Laurent finally realized what was going as another breeze sent the human's scent toward him.

"You brought a snack?" he asked as he took a step forward. Both the vampire guarding the girl and I snarled ferociously at him, causing him took take a step back.

"I said she's with us." Carlisle said again in a harsh voice.

"But she's _human_," Laurent protested with disbelief.

"Yes." said the largest of the group, his eyes fixed on me with an angry stare. I slowly stood up as the truth dawned on me. They weren't going to let me take her. No they were going to try to stop me from being with my one true love. My eyes never left. I was still stunned by her beauty. The way her hair flowed perfectly around her face, her beautiful brown eyes, widened in fear, and her wondrous smell. My mouth was almost watering as I imagined what she would taste like when I finally made her mine.

My thoughts were interrupted by a low growl from Edward. My eyes unwillingly left the beautiful girl, and returned to him. I was shocked by the amount of rage in his stare. _Of course._ I thought to myself. _He wasn't planning on killing her after the game. He loves her. _As I thought about this his eyes narrowed. _Can he read my mind?_ I saw him smirk at my slightly bewildered expression. _Well then you already know that I _will_ make her mine, and you can do nothing to stop me. _**(Insert cheesy evil laugh here) **His smirk was immediately replaced by a look of pure anger.

"And, of course, we will leave the human girl alone." I looked at Laurent in disbelief. _How could he say that? Had he forgotten who was the leader of this coven?_ I glanced to Victoria, hoping she would back me up. She nodded her head slightly. I knew I could always count on her. I had found her lost in a snowstorm up in the Rocky Mountains. I had turned her, and we met up with Laurent 15 years later. She had fallen in love with him and they had been together ever since. I had never felt like the odd man out and I knew that after this, I would never be again.

"We'll show you the way," Carlisle said. "Jasper, Rosalie, Esme," he called. As they gathered, blocking the beautiful girl from my view once again. The pixie like vampire and the big one went over to her and Edward. The big one's eyes never left me as they retreated into the forest.

"Let's go Bella." I heard Edward say as he pulled her arm. Bella, what a beautiful name. I daydreamed about Bella as half of the coven led us to their _home. _I knew that my thoughts were making Edward squirm, but that's not why I was thinking them. I knew that I would have to find a way around him to get to her. I broke off from the group, and set off to find my love.

**Unfortunately, this will probably be the only time I update 2 times in one day. I don't hold chapters hostage, waiting for people to update, so if I don't update for a while it's usually writers block. I love it so much when people put ideas for future chapters in their reviews. I will almost always use your idea, and I will always give you credit for it.**

**Thanks again. Although I know you do this well enough without being told, please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took so long to update. I have been pretty busy lately. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

(EPOV)

"Let's go Bella." I said. She was frozen to the spot in fear. I pulled her arm, jerking her out of her trance, and swung her on my back. I took off at top speed, with the others close behind. No matter how fast I ran, I couldn't escape James' thoughts of Bella. It was absolute torture to see him imagining himself and Bella together.

Finally we were at the car. I threw Bella in the backseat, being careful not to hurt her, and jumped in the front seat in the same second. As soon as Alice and Emmett were in the car, I hit the gas pedal. I wasn't sure if I should take Bella home or not, but I knew I had to get away from here fast. _Edward, take her home. She'll be safe there. _Alice's calm thoughts broke through my panic. I decided that she was right and drove to Bella's house.

"Edward, what did you hear?" Emmett asked me.

"He was thinking about Bella," I cringed at the memory. "And how he wanted her for himself." I heard a gasp, and looked in the rearview mirror in time to see Bella's look of horror.

"It's ok Bella," I tried to calm her. "We won't let him get you." Emmet put his arms around Bella, and gave her a hug.

"No way he could get past all of us." Emmett said, flexing his muscles, but being careful not to squish Bella. I smiled at Emmet, thankful that he had taken a liking to her so quickly.

Alice was staring blankly out the window, having a vision. We sat in silence waiting for her to return to normal. Finally she came back, and we all looked at her expectantly.

"He's not going to try to take her yet. He wants her to love him, so he's going to try to win her heart. As soon as he thinks that she loves him the same way, he'll try to change her." A low growl escaped my lips as I thought of him biting my angel. No way would I allow him to damn her to this existence.

"What if he gets hungry when I'm around one of my friends? What about Charlie? He could hurt him trying to get to me." Bella said, her voice rising in panic. I could see that she was about to start hyperventilating. Already seeing my plan, Alice slid into the driver's seat as I went into the back. I pulled Bella into my arms, and kissed the top of her head.

"Don't worry, Bella. You're safe with us."

"Exactly. When you leave, he'll try to come get me," she said, her breathing returning to normal.

"Who said I'm leaving?" I smiled her favorite crooked grin.

"Will you really stay with me?" she asked.

"Of course I will. I love you and I'm not going to lose you without a fight." I heard her heart hammering in her chest as I spoke. I realized that this was the second time, that I had told her that I loved her today. She smiled and rested her head on my shoulder, as I started to hum her lullaby. Her heart returned to normal, and her breathing slowed as she fell asleep.

_Awhh. You two are so cute together, Edward. _Alice thought to me. I grinned up at her, careful not to wake Bella up. _Edward, are you sure that we should be protecting her. _My grin immediately turned into a scowl. _Let me finish before you start growling at me. What if she would prefer to be with James? Why should we deny her happiness?_

"Because if she went with him, then he would try to change her. Keyword, try. What if he killed her Alice? Could you live with yourself, knowing that she died because we didn't protect her? I don't care if she chooses not to love me. It's her choice, and I will never deny her happiness. But I will not allow her to go kill herself. If he was human, and she loved him, I would let her go, but I will not allow a murderer to take her away from her life and turn her into a monster." I whisper ranted.

"Wow, Edward. You have some strong opinions on the subject." Emmett whispered.

"How can I not?" I whispered even quieter. "I love her."

**How sweet. Sorry about the short chapter. I'll try to write longer ones, but they'll probably only be this long. I would like to take this time to tell you guys about one of my other stories, Fearless Twilight. I have been working on it for a while, and it's more that twice as long as this story, but I currently have one fan and my sister reviewing it. Please check it out, and tell me what you think.**

**Don't forget to review for this story though.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I hope you guys like this chapter. Unfortunately the James part is short, but at least I got him in there.**

(JPOV)

I followed the large jeep, being careful to stay out of the range of the mind reader. I don't care what Laurent promised; I will not stay away from this beautiful creature.

A growl built in my throat as I watched _him_ pull my angel into his arms. I was filled with envy as I watched her fall asleep in his arms. As a look of contentment spread across her face, I knew that it would be even harder to prove that I loved her more than anything.

Finally the jeep pulled up in front of a yellow, 2-story house with white trimming. It was completely covered in her scent, along with an unidentified human scent. I used my power to block my scent as the 3 vampires and Bella got out of the car.

"You'll have to carry her in, Edward." I heard the big one say. Edward nodded, scooped her up, and walked human paced toward the door. Before he could even reach the threshold, the door opened to reveal a middle-aged man with thinning hair. _That must be her father,_ I thought to myself.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked frantically.

"Shhhh. It's ok Charlie. She just tired. If you don't mind, I'll just take her to her room." Edward whispered. Charlie allowed Edward to pass, and closed the door behind him. I waited for him to reach her room. There, the room farthest from the door on the second floor. Storing that away for future reference, I began to think about different ways that I could prove my love to Bella.

Suddenly, I had an idea. I waited until Bella's breathing became slower as she fell asleep. Of course Edward couldn't sleep, but I if he really cared about Bella then he would focus his attention on her. I took out the pocketknife I had picked up from our last meal outside Seattle, and set to work. This would show her.

(BPOV)

I woke up the next day. Wrapped securely in a pair of cold arms. I turned around, smiling as I looked up into Edward's beautiful face. I opened my mouth to greet him, but he placed his finger on my lips before I could say anything.

"Charlie's still here," he whispered in my ear. "In fact, he's thinking about coming up here and waking you up. Don't worry. I'll wait for him to leave, then I'll come back." Seeing the scowl on my face, he kissed me on the top of my head, and left, promising that he wouldn't be far away. I sat up in bed as I heard Charlie coming up the stairs. He opened the door slowly, smiling when he saw I was awake.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. Did watching a baseball game tire you out that much?" Charlie teased. He patted my knee, then got up to leave. "Oh, Bells I almost forgot. You have a surprise downstairs." I looked at him in confusion, and then got up to make my way down the stairs.

The scene in front of me was shocking to say the least. Filling both the living room and the kitchen were dozens of long-stemmed red roses. Charlie laughed at my expression.

"I guess he goes for the traditional roses and chocolates deal, huh." He said handing me a card before he left. _There's no way Edward did all of this, _I thought to myself. Man was he going to get an earful when he got back.

Finally remembering the card, I opened it and began to read. Wait this wasn't right. This wasn't Edward's beautiful script. I gasped as I realized who sent the roses. _James._

_I hope you enjoyed the baseball game last night. I know I did. Do you like the roses I sent? If not, don't worry. You have another surprise ahead of you. Can't wait to see you again._

_With all my heart,_

_Your not-so-secret admirer_

"Edward," I called in a slightly strangled voice. Instantly I felt his cold arms snake around my waist.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. I wordlessly handed him the note. It took him barely a minute to read it. "Come on," he said pulling me toward the door. I listened, already knowing that we were headed to his house.

It's a good thing that Edward was still holding me by the waist, because as soon as I took in the scene around me, my legs gave out. This was just too much. On every tree facing the house, there were the words James and Bella Forever, written in a heart. And there, standing in the middle of the lawn was James, with a bouquet of freesia in one hand, and a proud smile on his face.

"Hello, Bella." He said lovingly.

"J-James?" was all I could sputter out. If possible, his smile grew even wider.

"I see that my gifts have left you speechless." He lifted his foot to take a step closer, but was met by an angry growl from Edward.

"What's your problem? I was just going to give her these flowers." James said angrily.

"That's not what you were planning and you know it." Edward spat back at him. A mischievous look came over him.

"A guy can dream can't he." He replied. "But of course, they won't be dreams forever." Edward, already crouched in front of me, snarled as he listened to James thoughts.

"Why are you doing this?" I suddenly screamed. They both looked thoroughly shocked that I had spoken, must less screamed in my state of terror. Tears were streaming down my face in both anger and fear.

"I love you Bella. I only wanted to prove myself to you," James pleaded with me. I shook my head angrily.

"By stalking me? By hurting the ones I love? Why James? Why me?" I started sobbing even harder. Edward turned around and placed his hands on either side of my face, trying to calm me down.

"Shhhh. It's okay Bella. I won't let anything happen to you." He said wiping away my tears with his thumbs.

"Get your hands off her." James said darkly. Edward pulled me to him, trying to keep me from falling over.

"Can't you see what you're doing to her? Don't you understand that you're hurting her?" Edward yelled at him.

"Edward, no." I whispered, cupping my hand to the side of his face. "Let's just go back inside." _Where you're safe from harm _I added in my head. He nodded and led me back inside, never taking his eyes off James. He led me to the living room, and sat me down on the couch, after moving the roses.

"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough." I whispered to him before I passed out.

**Happy April first everybody. I hope you liked this chapter. I was originally going to end it when they walked outside, but I decided to write a little more than usual.**

**If you review, I won't prank you.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it took so long to update. My excuse: laziness and writers block. That reminds me, thank you so much to everyone who was kind enough to suggest ideas. Especially to ****My very own Lullaby**** and ****KrystalCullen**** for their awesome ideas that helped inspire me. Hope you like this chapter.**

(EPOV)

All I could do was stare as I watched Bella pass out on the couch. The reality of what had happened finally caught up to me, and I rushed to her side.

"Bella?" I said, carefully shaking her shoulder. I started to become slightly frantic when she didn't answer after I called her name for a third time. I reached in my pocket and pulled out my cell phone, already in the process of calling Alice. Before it could even ring, Alice's voice came across loud and panicked.

"How could he have gotten past you? Couldn't you smell him, or at least hear him?"

"I don't know Alice. I could ask you the same thing. How did he get past your visions?"

"Carlisle suspects that he has an extra ability that we didn't pick up on before." I sighed in frustration. Suddenly I heard a car pull into the driveway.

"Got to go Alice."

"Wait. It's Charlie, and he's already seen the trees. He's gonna freak out and try to call the station." I heard her pause for a moment. "You might have to tell him about us for both his and Bella's safety. Carlisle agrees that it may be the only option."

"Okay. Bye." I hung up and turned as Charlie opened the door.

"Bella," he called out slightly apprehensive.

"In here Charlie." I said. His heavy footsteps immediately turned toward the living room. He gasped when he saw Bella, and ran to her side. A strand of hair had fallen across her face with his arrival, and he brushed it away, turning to me with anger gleaming in his eyes. _What has he done to her? Drugs, abuse, rape? I swear I'll kill him if he hurt her in any way _he thought. Whoa. It didn't matter that I was bullet proof. Charlie scared the s out of me. **(Gasp bad Edward)**

"What happened?" he asked in a tight, controlled voice. I sighed unnecessarily and spoke in a calm voice.

"Those flowers Bella received weren't from me, Charlie." I began. "While we were playing baseball yesterday, we met three hikers. There was a woman and two guys. One of the guys took an immediate liking to Bella." Now came the hard part where I had to make it up as I went along. "We invited them to join in our game, but the guy, James, said he would rather sit out. He went to sit by Bella, and of course I was slightly jealous so I kept an eye on him.

He started flirting with her a little bit, but she just ignored him. After a while he decided to try to put his arm around her, but she just shrugged it off and scooted a little away. At this point however, I decided to intervene. I went to sit by her, and James was instantly jealous. He told me to stay away from _his girl_. Bella being Bella," I chuckled slightly, "of course, told him off immediately. He tried to scoot closer to her again, but she just got up and sat on the other side of me. He got up to follow her, but at took the chance to point out that it was getting late, and that we should be heading home. My family agreed, but James tried to keep Bella from leaving. Emmett, Jasper, and I got him to back off and we left.

This morning Bella called, and told me about the roses and the note I came over immediately. I was about to take her to my house, and we were walking outside when we saw the trees. And there, standing on the front lawn, was James. He said that he loved Bella and didn't intend to let me take her away from him. I got him to leave, but it was too much stress for Bella. I got her inside, but she passed out." Charlie looked completely stunned by my story.

_Wow. _I heard him think._ I was expecting him to tell me that Bella had just tripped or something. My poor baby no wonder she acted so weird when she read the note. I can't believe I was so _stupid._ How could I not have noticed the trees earlier? At least I can charge the guy with harassment. There's no _way_ he's ever getting within a 100 feet of my Bells _ever_ again. _It's a good thing Jasper wasn't here. Charlie went from being shocked to comprehension to anger to feeling vengeful.

"Charlie," I said breaking him out of his tirade. "I'm going to take Bella to my house, so Carlisle can make sure she's fine." _Wow. Bella sure knows how to pick em' _he thought to himself. **(Ewww I made Charlie sound gay. Absolutely no offense to gay people, I just can't see a Charlie x Edward thing. I dare someone to try to right a ChxE story. Sorry, back to the story.)**

He nodded and I picked up Bella bridal style and carried her to the door. _Man that was almost too easy _I thought to myself. I was proved wrong when we walked outside.

"Edward, Where's your car?"

**Shoot, another short chapter. I hope you liked it anyway. I have a little game for you guys. If you can guess my birthday, I will send you a preview of the next chapter. Clue: I'm an Aries (astrology for those of you who were wondering.) You have three chances to guess, but the game will end as soon as I post the next chapter. If someone guesses right by tonight I will update tomorrow. Happy Earth day!!**

**Review pretty please with a cherry on top. :-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I have yet to read a story where Charlie finds out that the ****Cullens**** are vampires, so her****e's**** my version. I hope it's up to par. Also if you read a story where he finds out that they're vamps please tell me, for I'm sick, and I'm bored. Oh well, on with the story.**

(EPOV)

I froze, but not because of Charlie's question. I could hear _his_ thoughts. Though faint and jumbled, I knew he was close. I turned to Charlie and began speaking urgently.

"Charlie, I know this is going to sound weird, but I need you to climb on my back."

"What?" he asked incredulously.

"I need to carry Bella, so you're going to have to ride on my back." I knew that he probably thought that I was crazy, but I was too focused on James to read his thoughts. I had to get him and Bella out of here quick, or James would attack. When Charlie didn't move, I just sighed in frustration and was about to try to convince him again when I heard it. _Here's my chance_. I ran to Charlie at vampire speed.

"Sorry Charlie, but I have no other choice." he looked stunned from my sudden appearance as I picked him up and put him on my back. "Hold on tight." I said before taking off toward my house. As I ran I could hear James trying to follow, but I was to fast. I reached the house after a minute or two of running. My family was already at the door watching, concern evident on all of their faces except, of course, Rosalie. She was glaring at me with all her might.

_Was there no other way? _I heard Carlisle ask me. I shook my head as Alice ran up to help get Charlie off of me.

"Is he ok?" I asked her. He had an expression of pure terror on his face. I gave Jasper a pointed looked, and as he nodded Charlie immediately went limp. Alice picked him up and laid him down on the couch. It was comical, watching a person her size lift up a full-grown man without a problem.

"He'll be fine in a minute," she said with an annoyed glance at me.

"He was about to attack, and I was not going to leave him there." I defended myself. She sighed.

"I know. I'm just annoyed because I didn't see it until it was to late to warn you." Suddenly Carlisle spoke up.

"I have a theory about that. I think that James has the power to block his scent, and others powers temporarily."

"We'll that sucks." Emmett said, making us all shake our heads at him, chuckling. H_e's__ going to wake up soon_ I heard Alice think. I turned my gaze back to the couch, and watched as he slowly stirred. At the same time, I felt Bella beginning to awaken in my arms. I set her down on her own two feet as she looked around in confusion. Her eyes fell on Charlie and stayed there.

"Dad?" she said as if she wasn't sure if he was real. His head shot up when he heard Bella's voice. He looked around, taking in my family's curious gaze's, and Rosalie's furious one. As soon as he saw Bella standing next to me, his eyes narrowed.

"Bella, step away from him." Bella looked confused as she looked up at me. I stooped down to tell her what had happened, but was interrupted by Charlie's furious yell.

"Get away from her!" he screamed at me.

"Charlie," Carlisle said cautiously. Bella looked at her father, tears forming in her eyes.

"It's ok." I said rubbing the small of her back. I tried to show her through my eyes that I would never let anything happen to her or Charlie when I heard my family gasp all at once. I looked up from Bella, and was shocked by what I saw.

Charlie Swan had pulled out his gun.

**This is the second part. Sorry it wasn't on time.**

(BPOV)

I couldn't believe it.

"Edward, back away." I whispered so only vampires could hear it. He took a step back, watching Charlie the entire time with fearful eyes. He lowered his gun slightly, and I walked over to him slowly.

"Dad, please put down the gun." He shook his head, and reached out, grabbing my arm. He pulled me behind him, and continued glaring and aiming his gun at Edward.

"Something's wrong with him, Bells. He's not human."

"I know." I said loudly enough for him to hear. He turned toward me, completely forgetting the Cullens.

"What?" I looked at Edward for confirmation that I could tell him. He nodded.

"They're not human, Dad. They're vampires." (It would have been so easy to just end it there, but I think you guys deserve a long chap.) He looked at me with confusion.

"What?" he said shaking his head. The gun fell from his hands as he fell back on the couch. Carlisle slowly walked up to Charlie and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"We can talk in my office, Charlie." He nodded, and followed him up the stairs. As soon as they were gone, Edward was at my side, grabbing my hand.

"Are you ok?" he asked, kissing our entwined fingers. I nodded, and smiled tiredly at him. It took a lot out of you to try to stop your father from trying to kill your boyfriend. He led me to the couch and sat down beside me.

"What's going to happen now?" I asked looking at my hands. "I mean with Charlie knowing and James after me."

"I don't know. It mostly depends on how Charlie takes the news of us being vampires." I looked up at him. "By the sound of his thoughts, and with a little help from Jasper, he seems to be taking it pretty well."

"You mean he's not threatening to shoot Carlisle." I joked. He chuckled quietly, shaking his head.

"You should have heard his thoughts." He said shuddering. "Your father is a violent person who would love nothing more than to watch me die. Especially when I tried to comfort you. It doesn't matter to me that I'm bullet proof, your dad scares me." By the end of his rant, were both laughing. I sighed happily. Edward always knew how to dazzle me. He tilted his head to the side slightly, his eyes sparkling with curiosity and laughter. I just laughed harder at his expression, knowing that he was wondering what I was thinking.

"What are you thinking about?" he said making my laughter go up another notch. Ok, maybe I was getting slightly hysterical. A few minutes passed before I was able to control my laughter enough to try to talk

"Ja-asp-er." I managed to get out between my bouts of laughter, knowing he would hear me. I felt waves of calm start to flow through me, but I would burst into hysterics every time I looked at Edward. I was almost entirely calm after a few tries. Edward waited patiently while I tried to control my laughter, and started to speak once he saw that I was almost calm.

"Be-," he started with a confused expression, but was cut off by another burst of laughter. I could feel Jasper still trying to calm me down again, but this time I could also feel a wave of frustration flow through me. Apparently Jasper was telling Edward something in his mind because he suddenly got a worried expression on his face and left the room. With Edward out of the room, Jasper was able to calm me down much more quickly. Now that I was calm, I wanted Edward to come back in the room. Of course, Jasper felt my distress and told Edward because a moment later, he was sitting next to me again. He looked at me cautiously.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded my head, and just smiled. His expression immediately changed to a look of relief and amusement. "May I ask what was so funny?" he said playfully.

"It's actually all your fault." I said, smiling when I saw his incredulous expression. "Mm-hm. I was perfectly fine until you made that face. I laughed before because I knew that you were wondering what I was thinking about, and then you went and asked. I guess I got a little too hysterical, so I tried to ask Jasper for help, but every time I looked at you I would just start laughing again. I think I'm good now." Then as if to prove me wrong, a small chuckle escaped me.

"I love your laugh." He said before he kissed me. Of course I was not entirely in control of my actions, but I was surprised when Edward didn't pull away until a few moments later. He leaned his forehead against mine and sighed.

"Why do you have to be so irresistible?" he asked quietly.

"Why resist?" I asked before kissing him again.

**Aww. I hope you enjoyed that little fluff I added in there. This was mostly a filler, but the next chapter will be Monday morning. Also just a heads up, that that last line could be important in later chapters. I hope you guys can forgive me for being so mean with the updates, but school ends in a few weeks, so I will have a lot more time to write.**

**Roses are red,**

**Violets are blue,**

**I forgot the rest,**

**So please review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm so proud of myself. This is the longest chapter I have written so far. I hope you guys like it, and I sorry to tell you, but I love cliffhangers. I'll try to stop, but I doubt I will. Hope you enjoy this. I know I did. (laughs evilly)**

(BPOV)

I spent the night at the Cullens. Carlisle wanted to make sure that Charlie wasn't going to go into shock, and Charlie didn't want me home alone. Edward was of course very happy, as was Alice. Before he even gave the okay, Alice squealed and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the bathroom. After 3 hours of Barbie Bella, Alice finally let me go to bed. I washed all of the goop she put on my face off, and got ready to go to sleep.

I walked into Edward's room and was shocked by the scene. The black couch that usually occupied the room was gone, and in it's place was an enormous bed. It had black, wrought iron roses on the headboard, and was covered by a gold duvet with black pillows. The best part of the bed was its occupant. Lying there with his arms behind his head and a smile on his face was Edward.

"What's all of this?" I asked, gesturing to the bed.

"I wasn't going to make you sleep on the couch." He said opening his arms for me to join him.

"What about Charlie?" I asked walking toward the bed, and sitting down next to him. He sat up.

"He's sleeping in the guest room."

"No, I mean what if he comes in and sees us sleeping on the same bed?" I asked, blushing at the end. He just shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not any different than when I come into your room at night."

"I guess not." I said after thinking about it. His eyes took on a sad look.

"Unless you'd rather not have me in here with you." He said.

"Of course I want you in here. Besides, it's your room." I said, giving him a quick kiss to cure his absurd insecurities. At least, it was supposed to be a quick kiss. As soon as my lips touched his, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. I froze shocked for a moment, and before I could react he pulled away.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I don't know what came over me." He started apologizing, but was cut off as I put my finger on his lips.

"I wasn't done with you yet." I said with a smile, before pressing my lips to his once again.

**Ok, Bella has had her turn. Let's see how Edward's dealing with this. **

(EPOV)

"I wasn't done with you yet." She said with a seductive smile, before pressing her lips to mine once again. I tried to keep my arms to myself, but I couldn't keep them from wrapping around her small frame again. I pulled her closer to me slowly this time. I tried desperately to keep myself from deepening the kiss as I felt her hands tangle themselves in my hair. I pulled away, with great difficulty after a few moments. I almost attacked her again when I saw her pouting. Instead, I was able to just rest my hand on the side of her face.

"Time for bed, love." I said gently, smiling at her cuteness. She nodded her head, and lied down again, snuggling closer to me. I started humming the lullaby I had written for her, and I felt her relax. She sighed, and I listened as her breathing slowed. This was one of my favorite things to do with Bella. I breathed in her heavenly smell, perfectly content.

* * *

"Good morning, love." I said as I watched her stir. She smiled and left to get ready for the day.

* * *

2 bowls of cereal, an irritable Charlie, and a short drive later, we were at the school. I hated this place, but I'd go to it over and over again if it meant I got to be with Bella. We left for our separate classes.

As usual, Spanish was boring, so I listened to the thoughts of my classmates. All of the girls' thoughts seemed to be centered on the new sub for English. It seemed that the regular teacher was out for a few weeks. Strangely, almost none of them had actually seen him. Finally a picture came with one girl's thoughts of him. I froze.

**Ha ha. I'm evil.**

(BPOV)

After Edward and I separated, I went to my first period. There was a rumor going around that our teacher would be gone for a few weeks, and that the sub was a total hottie. I was of course curious what could be so special about this guy to have caught the attention of every girl in school. I was usually one of the first kids to arrive, but there were quite a few kids already there when I entered. The sub was turned around, writing something on the board as I took my seat.

"Hello students." He said in a horribly familiar voice. "My name is Mr. Avery, but I prefer to be called by my first name. James." He said as he turned around. I was frozen in fear, as he looked straight at me. "Ok, today I am going to arrange you in alphabetical order by your first name, so we can get to know each other better." I realized with horror that I would be in the seat closest to the teacher's desk. He started with the back of the room, seating me last.

"You look beautiful today, Bella." He said quietly as I sat in front of his desk. "Okay class. For today's lesson I would like you to read pages 134-154 in your books, and write a quick essay about the relationship between the characters."

It was nothing short of creepy having James watch me as I read and wrote my essay. I finished early, and was about to hand it to him when I noticed his eyes. They were filled with happiness, sorrow, anger, and love, but the strangest thing about them was their color. They were still red, but the had flakes of gold in them.

"Your eyes." I said quietly. James smiled at me.

"I did it for you." He whispered. "I would do anything for you. Even go against what I am." I was flattered by his words, but then he said something that made my blood run cold. "This is only the beginning. I will prove my love to you Isabella Swan, and I don't intend to let your boyfriend, _Edmund_, interfere with that"

"Edward." I said coldly. Thankfully the rest of the class passed in silence. Finally the bell rang. I got up to leave, but was stopped when I felt a cold hand grab my wrist. I turned to see James holding my wrist. I tried to pull free, but all it did was hurt me more. I looked up at him glaring.

"Please, Bella. Can I just talk to you for a minute?" he pleaded.

"Let me go." I said trying to pull free again. His eyes darkened along with his expression.

"Let her go, James." I heard the velvety voice say behind me. I turned, and was elated to see Edward. He was glaring at James with an expression that couldn't even be described as hate.

"Edwa-" I said relieved, but was cut off as I felt my wrist being tugged violently. I grunted as I felt myself hit against a stone chest. I looked up in horror into the gleaming eyes of James.

"I told you I wouldn't allow interferences." James whispered in my ear, his eyes black as night. I shivered in disgust as his breath tickled my face. I felt his arms tighten around me slightly as he started to turn to the suddenly open window, picking me up at the same time.

"Nooooo!" Edward roared angrily. I tried to call out to him as he lunged toward us, but the wind was suddenly knocked out of me as James jumped out the window. He hit the ground, running at top speed. I looked over his shoulder to see Edward running after us. I reached out my hand toward him. Just as he was about to grab it, he was hit by a blur of white and fire.

"Edward!" I screamed as he hit the ground. "Nooooo!" I screamed over and over again. All I could do was scream in agony as the world passed by at impossible speeds. As I felt my mind start to close in on it self, I made one last promise. _I'll follow as soon as I can my love._

**Collective gasp. Is Bella going to try to kill herself? Has James finally won? Am I the worst author ever for killing Edward? (Don't worry I didn't really.) Find out in the next chapter of A Hunter's Love. Sorry I lied, this is the second longest chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

First of all I just want to say that the story might seem shorter because I'm going to delete all of the author's note.

Ok. I know you are going to hate me, but I am going on a strike. I am not going to post anymore chapters on any of my stories until I can get at least 5 reviews for my Fearless Twilight story.

Yes you all hate me, but I have my reasons.

1. I was really proud of myself because I wrote a chapter that was about 2,500 words, but no one reviewed.

2. I have at least 75 more hits, but no reviews.

3. I love writing my story, but I'm starting to think that no one likes it because of the lack of reviews.

(Beware language)

4. I'm an evil b who loves to make people suffer just so she can get a few reviews.

On a happier note. If I get 5 reviews for my other story. I will upload either 2 more chapters, or an extremely super long chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry about the delay.**

(JPOV)

I was absolutely elated as I ran with her in my arms. I couldn't believe that I actually made it. Finally I had the love of my life in my arms. Very nearly I shouted for joy, but remembered at the last minute that she had not come into my life unprotected. I felt like a little kid that had just won the prize of a lifetime.

Though of course Bella was so much more to me. Everything about her took my breath away. I loved her smile and her laugh, which I had only the chance to hear for a fleeting moment. I loved her heart shaped face, and her chocolate eyes that drew me in so easily. Her voice, so captivating, sent chills down my spine.

I was slightly confused about how attached I had grown to this faultless angel in such a short time. Surely, only the hand of destiny itself could cause feelings this strong. We were clearly meant to be. There was no denying it. She had me under her spell, and I knew that I would do anything for her.

Suddenly a random thought struck me. _Where the hell am I going? _

I stopped dead in my tracks, trying to figure out my next move. This plan had been so well thought out, but I never considered what would happen after I actually got her. I looked down at the siren lying in my arms for inspiration. Even in sleep she was absolutely stunning. I would need to take her somewhere where she could live out her wildest dreams. I thought for a moment. _Wait, don't most humans fantasize about living big in a big city. New York! _I thought with triumph.

"What's with the stupid smile?" I heard a musical and young sounding voice say behind me. I looked down at the sleeping angel in my arms and answered without turning around.

"I can't believe that I actually have her, here, in my arms." I turned around and looked up at my best friend. "Thank you so much for helping me, Victoria. I can't even begin describe how much this means to me." She smiled at me and put her hand on my shoulder.

"I'm glad that I could help. It hurt me to see you alone for so long. But now that you have her, James, what do you plan to do?" I sighed and looked down at Bella once more.

"The only thing I can do. Change her."

"So soon?" the concern was evident in her voice.

"No. I think I'll take her to New York first. I'd rather not have the cops after me for dating a '17-year-old girl', so in the mean time, I will give her everything her heart desires. When she's ready I'll change her." I planned on waiting at least until her 22nd birthday before changing her. That gave her 5 more years to live out her human dreams, and it brought her closer to my 25-year-old appearance. Plus she would be able to do a lot more as an adult than if I were to change her now.

"Are you sure that's the best idea. New York can be a pretty dangerous place sometimes. Especially with the occasional new-born running through."

"I'll protect her. I won't leave her alone for a second."

"I'm glad you've thought this through, James. Laurent and I will join you in New York after a little while. We don't want to scare her too bad. Now we better start going. I stalled the boyfriend for a little while, but I don't know how long we have before he's up and running again." I nodded and started running again.

(EPOV)

_I can't believe I didn't notice him sooner _I chided myself silently. _I should've been paying closer attention to Bella instead of sitting in a classroom for a subject I already know. _I continued my unspoken tirade at myself as I stood outside of Bella's classroom. I had asked the teacher if I could go to the nurse's office, faking an upset stomach. The teacher had of course let me go, he had a weak stomach himself, and couldn't handle people throwing up.

I listened to the thoughts of the people inside. I listened for James, and after a minute I heard his thoughts. They were quiet even though he was in the next room. I guess his power only keeps his scent completely hidden. It was his thoughts that made my blood boil.

It's hard to believe that she'll be even more beautiful once I turn her. I can't even imagine what her powers will be. I wonder what she's writing about. It doesn't really matter since I'm going to give her an A anyway. I hope my powers are still working. I don't need her boyfriend running in and ruining everything.

Just then the bell rang preventing me from hearing his next thought. I waited by the door for Bella to come out, ignoring the stares and occasional glares from the passing students. Finally all the students were out of the door and I could hear James and Bella.

"Please, Bella. Can I just talk to you for a minute?" he pleaded with her.

"Let me go." I heard Bella say angrily. _Never_ he answered in his thoughts.

"Let her go, James." I said appearing behind Bella in an instant. It took all of my control to keep myself from tearing him apart that second as I took in the scene before me. James had an angry look on his face, but what really ended it for him in my mind, was the fact that he had Bella by the wrist and was trying to keep her against her will. She turned toward me at the sound of my voice, relief evident on her face.

"Edwa-" she began. James cut her off, as he abruptly pulled hard on her wrist. Her body was jerked toward him by the action, and the breath was knocked out of her as she hit against his chest. I could only watch in horror as she looked up slowly into his malicious gaze. He slowly bent his head until his lips were even with her ear.

"I told you I wouldn't allow interferences." He whispered quietly. His eyes were black with want as he felt her shiver when his breath fanned across her face. I saw as his arms tightened around her slightly. He turned toward the window, his plan of jumping out just now registering in his mind. In one quick movement, James scooped Bella up in his arms and prepared to jump.

"Nooo!" I roared. I lunged toward the pair as James jumped. He was out the window and running before I could blink. Almost instantaneously I was behind them and catching up. I pushed myself to the limit as I saw Bella look back at me. She reached out her hand toward me. I reached for it, but right before we made contact, a vampire with flame colored hair tackled me.

"Edward!" I heard my angel scream before she was gone. I leaped to my feet to face this new opponent.

"Victoria." I snarled her name as if it was poison. She just smiled at me as she couched into a defensive position.

"Whatcha' doing out here." She teased me in her, childlike voice. I growled at her and we started to circle each other. She looked me in the eye, and for some reason I couldn't look away. "Why bother going after someone who doesn't even love you?" she said gently, her voice becoming smoother. Pain flickered in my chest for a moment, before I shook it of. This was her power. She could discover your worst fears and make you think they were coming true.

"Even if she didn't love me, I would go after her." I said with conviction. She shook her head and gave a short, bitter laugh.

"What good would that do? Your family would get killed trying to save someone they don't even like." I couldn't stop the flicker of confusion that flashed in my eyes. She saw this as her chance and took her shot. "They were only putting up with her because of you. They were actually planning on killing her and leaving you if you didn't ditch her soon. So now that you know the options, what's your choice? Lose your family or lose your play thing." That was the last straw. Without even thinking about it I attacked her, falling straight into her trap. She disappeared from in front of me as I hit the ground. Suddenly I felt her arms wrap around my torso from behind me. I cried out in pain as she squeezed, simultaneously shattering nearly every bone in my arms, back and ribs. She threw my limp body against a tree then ran off.

I couldn't do anything but lay in agony and growl as my injuries healed. Before long I heard the sounds of my family quickly approaching.

"Edward!" they all screamed as they saw my broken body slumped against the tree. Everyone rushed to see if I was okay. Esme was dry sobbing.

"I'm okay." I reassured them. "I'm already almost done healing." Alice spoke up.

"Don't believe a word Victoria said, Edward. All of that stuff that she said about us planning on killing Bella and leaving you was a lie." I nodded my head.

"I know. I just-" I stopped with a sudden realization. "Alice how did you find me here and know what Victoria said to me?" I asked her. She looked at me confused.

"I had a vision of course." Swiftly she had a vision about what I was getting at. "Nice plan Edward. They'll never see it coming."

"What plan?" Emmett asked, feeling out of the loop. I looked at Alice, and she just nodded.

"You know how James' power messes with Alice's?" I began.

"Ya. So." Rosalie said.

"Well, when Alice was talking about how she saw what happened with Victoria in a vision, it made me think about why James' power didn't effect her anymore."

"Get on with it!" Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper shouted together.

"James can only use his power to block himself and those in direct contact with him."

"Which means that we can use Victoria to track James." Carlisle finished for me.

"Not exactly." Alice said sadly. "I had a vision. I could only see Victoria, and it looked like she was talking to herself so I'm guessing she was with James. She was talking to him about how her and Laurent would meet up with him later so they didn't scare Bella." I groaned in frustration and put my head in my finally healed hands.

"Did she mention where he was taking Bella?" I asked.

"New York." I sighed and stood up.

"Well at least it's a start." I turned to look at my family. "I'm going after Bella. You probably won't see me for a while, but I'll try to call when I have an update."

'_No Edward.'_ Rosalie thought at me. I sighed and turned to my sister who liked Bella the least.

"I'm coming too." She said out loud. I was surprised by her seemingly random act of kindness toward Bella. _Don't look so surprised Edward _she thought at me._ I may not like her that much, but I don't want her to be condemned to this kind of existence. She has a family that loves her, and a chance at a good life. I'm not going to let James ruin that for her._

"Thank you, Rose. That means a lot to me." I said full heartedly, smiling at her

"What about me?" Alice piped up. "I'm coming too."

"Me too." Emmett and Jasper said at the same time.

"As much as we want to go. Esme and I have to stay home to keep people from becoming too suspicious. We can tell everyone that you guys left early for spring break." **(I'm not sure about the actual time that this is happening, so for this story it is the week before spring break) **

"Of course, so what is the soonest you guys can be ready?" I asked, turning to my siblings.

(BPOV)

I woke up to the sound of someone humming quietly. At first I thought it was Edward and tried to go back to sleep. Suddenly, all of the previous day's events flooded back to me. I sat up with a gasp of horror. I looked around hoping that maybe it was all a nightmare, but of course I had no such luck. I was sitting in the front seat of a car going very fast, and sitting next to me was James. He was looking at me worriedly.

"What's wrong my love." He said, reaching his hand up to brush my cheek. I swatted it away angrily, but he just smiled and returned both hands to the steering wheel. His eyes though remained on me.

"I know that you're angry with me at the moment. I expect nothing but hate from you right now. I have taken you away from everything you've known. Your life, your family, gone, but I promise that I will make it up to you. Your old life will seem vile and lacking after this. I swear to you that I will make up for everything you have 'lost' and much more. I love you Bella, and I only took you away because I want you to have the best of everything life has to offer. In return I only wish that you could find it in your heart to at least try to give this new life a chance. I'm not expecting you to be grateful or even polite toward me. All I want is for you to be happy." I was shocked by his speech. _Does he truly believe that this was all done with my best intentions in mind? _I thought to myself. One look at his face told me all that I needed to know. He did. James looked at me, trying to see if there was any point in him bearing his soul to me. **(I watched John Tucker Must Die the other day, and I couldn't help but put that line in here.) **I decided that the only way I had even the slightest chance of escaping was to try to be cooperative.

"Where are we going?" I said quietly, looking out the window for a clue as to our location. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw James brighten when I finally spoke. He seemed happy and proud about his answer, but I could also hear a hint of apprehension in his voice, as if his life depended on how I reacted.

"New York."

**Ok guys. First off I would like to say that I am sorry that I tried to threaten you with not updating, and I promise that I will never do it again. On a happier note: Wahoo I have almost 2,500 words in this chapter. I know that I promised you guys a long chapter, and the next one will probably going to be long too. I do have a few things that I need your guys' help with though. **

**1. Where in NY do you want James to take Bella?**

**2. What kind of stuff do you want to see James do for/with Bella? (Please don't let your minds wander in the gutter.)**

**3. How should Bella feel toward James? **

**4. How long should it be before Edward and the gang comes?**

**5. Who should change Bella, or should she stay human?**

**It all depends on you. (Someone whisper shouts, 'No pressure') Please tell me what you think. Also since I deleted my author's notes, FF is probably going to say that you already reviewed. If that happens, and you have a really good idea, please feel free to pm me. I almost forgot to tell you guys that I'm thinking about getting a beta for this story, so if anyone is interested please tell me.**

**_(Only read if you're bored and have the time)_ ****The JTMD reference was when John was trying to ask Kate out during the b-ball game, and the coach got mad. I just love how he says "bearin' my soul here, Coach." For some odd reason it is just so funny to me.**

**Once again I'm sorry. :( **


	11. Chapter 11

**Still looking for a beta.**

(BPOV)

I nearly choked on the air I was breathing. James winced slightly. Finally I found my voice.

"Why New York?" I asked quietly. James' expression brightened as he answered.

"I thought that you would want to go to a big city. People are always talking about how one of their dreams is to go to a large city, to see the lights, and live out their dreams. I could take you to see the Statue of Liberty or Niagara Falls, or if you don't want to we could go somewhere else." His voice sounded slightly deflated as he said the last part

"It's not that," I whispered. "It's just so far away." He sighed then looked at me with a pleading expression.

"Please Bella. I'm trying my hardest to make you happy. All I ask for in return is that you give me a chance." His voice turned resentful. "What could _he _give you that I couldn't? He obviously doesn't plan to change you, and if he did, you would forever be stuck a teenager. He's a child, Bella. He doesn't know anything about love. He could never love you like I could."

"It doesn't matter what you say. I love him." James expression darkened for a moment before he turned his gaze back to the road.

"For now." He said to himself. After that we drove in silence for about an hour before I fell asleep.

* * *

I dreamt that was lying on my back in the middle of the meadow with Edward glittering beside me. I could feel the sun on my face, and all around me I could hear the sounds of the forest. Quietly I could hear Edward humming my lullaby, as he held me to him. It was probably the most peaceful dream I had ever had

* * *

I awoke to the sound of someone calling my name softly. I opened my eyes to see James looking at me lovingly. Normally, seeing the vampire that had kidnapped me first thing when I woke up would've caused me to scream, but sleeping for hours in a car had dulled my reactions.

"We're here, my love." James said softly. I nodded, choosing to ignore his comment, and groggily stepped out of the car. I stretched and took a look at my surroundings. We were parked in what looked like a parking garage, and from what I could see of the sky, it was nighttime. I began to walk forward, and almost immediately I stumbled. James caught me before I fell and righted me, but his arm never left my waist.

I wanted to protest and pull away, but I knew that I wouldn't make it to wherever we were going without his help. With a sigh I resigned to his hold on me, and let him guide me to the elevator. We got in, and he pressed to button for the top floor. I looked at him, wondering where we were going. He had already been watching me when I turned to him, so he saw my questioning gaze.

"I got everything ready while you were asleep in the car. All the furnishings are set, so all we have to do is get you some food. Tomorrow we can get you some new clothes and other essentials." The elevator dinged, signaling we were at our destination.

The elevator opened to a small bland room. I was still confused, but James just smiled down at me, instead of explaining more. **(Link to house on profile.)**

"I hope you like it." He said before he walked forward and opened the door. On the other side I could see a wide hallway. In the middle of the hallway was a small bench next to a triangular table with a vase and flowers on it. Next to the door that we just came through was another door. The door was slightly ajar, and from what I could see inside, it looked like a large kitchen.

I was becoming more awake by the moment. I took a left down the hallway, no longer needing James for support, and wanting to see the rest of the apartment we were apparently in. Normally I would be angry that someone bought me an apartment, but I figured that James could throw away his money for all I cared.

On my way down the hall, to what appeared to be the living room, I passed a fish tank that was placed in the wall. There were no fish in it, and I wondered if that was because we had to buy our own, or if it was just for show. When I walked into the living room, I was shocked to say the least. The room was open with a large, black leather couch and two other cream colored couches. It was tastefully decorated, but what really amazed me was the view. The room was surrounded by large windows, through which you could see the New York Skyline and Central Park. I stood in shock for a few minutes before I felt a pair of cold arms encircle my waist. I almost leaned into the gesture, but I pulled away when I remembered whose arms they were. I took a few steps into the room, examining it more closely. Of course I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking, and I tripped. I prepared to inspect the floor more personally, but I once again felt James wrap his arms around my waist.

"Careful," he whispered, his face right next to mine. "We wouldn't want you to have an accident." Normally I would have blushed, but the fact that I could see James leaning closer was distracting me. I tried to pull away, but I couldn't escape his iron grasp.

"James, I'm tired." I said quickly, trying to distract him. Luckily he took the bait. He lifted me up into a standing position, and started walking down one of the hallways. I followed him until we reached a door at the end of the hall. James opened the door to reveal a large bedroom. It had a large cream-colored bed on one end, and a couch facing it from the other side of the room. Like the living room, large windows, looking over Central Park, adorned the walls.

As I looked around the room, I felt fatigue begin to take over. I guess I actually was tired. I yawned as I walked toward the bed. I climbed in before I realized an important fact I looked over. I turned toward James who was watching me with interest.

"Where will you be staying tonight?" I asked cautiously. He replied with a smile the answer a feared most.

"With you."

(JPOV)

I watched as Bella wandered around the room curiously. She didn't seem to be paying attention to where she was stepping because the next thing she did was trip. Almost purely out of instinct, I rushed forward to catch her.

"Careful," I whispered, my face right next to hers. "We wouldn't want you to have an accident." I couldn't control myself, as I started leaned closer to her. She was just so beautiful, and her smell was absolutely intoxicating. The strange thing about her was that her scent barely brought out the blood lust in me. All it seemed to do was bring out other kinds of lust. She tried to pull away, but there was no way I was releasing her from my grasp. I continued leaning closer when she suddenly spoke, her breath fanning across my face, and momentarily stunning me.

"James, I'm tired." I knew that it was just a ruse, but I allowed her to stand up again. I walked down the hall, toward the master bedroom, and opened the door for her. She seemed pleased with the room, much to my content, and walked to the bed, yawning. She was about to climb into bed when she turned to me with an odd expression on her face.

"Where will you be staying tonight?" she asked in her amazingly alluring voice. I knew what she was getting at, so I replied with a sly smile on my face.

"With you." She seemed shocked for a second before she glared at me.

"What do you mean exactly?" she said impatiently. I was going to say on the bed, but I knew that that would make her angry, and I was trying to behave.

"Of course I will give you your space. I will be on the couch." At first my answer shocked her, but she quickly regained her composure, and continued to the bed. She lay there for a little while, but didn't close her eyes. I made my way to the couch, but I never took my eyes off of her. Finally she sighed and sat up. I watched her curious about what she was doing.

"James," she said quietly. My heart broke when I heard her dejected voice. For the first time, I noticed that she had tears in her eyes. I was by her side in an instant, causing her to flinch. I tried to take her hands in mine, but she pulled them away. She spoke again before I had a chance to ask her what was wrong.

"Why me?" I was confused to say the least by her question. "Why, out of every girl in the world, did you pick me?" comprehension dawned on me, along with sadness and anger that she thought so lowly of herself. I brushed away the tears that had managed to get past, and spoke in a quiet voice.

"Why wouldn't I pick you, Bella? You're so beautiful, smart, and kind. I've only known you for a short time, but I knew the second I saw you in that field that I wanted to be with you forever." I moved to embrace her, but she pulled away. Her face was no longer sad and desolate as she looked at me angrily.

"Did you stop to think about me, James?" she voiced strongly. "Did you ever think about what I wanted, or what was best for me?" tears were now streaming down her face, but I could only watch in shock. "If you really cared about me you would let me go." That was it for me. I came back for my shocked state with a vengeance.

"How could you say that I don't care about you?? How many times do I have to explain myself for you to get the point??" I grabbed her arms angrily, but I made sure that I wouldn't hurt her. "Everything I have done has been for you. I could have forced you to live in a shack with only bread and water, but I chose to take you to New York and buy you a penthouse. I could have killed all of your family and friends to satisfy my thirst, but instead I tried to go against what I am to get you to look at me without disgust. I have done everything for you yet you act as if I'm evil." Her next words broke me.

"You are." I was standing ten feet away from her before she had the chance to blink. "Think about it, James." She said, her voice slowly losing its venom. "You kill people to drink their blood." She cringed on the word blood. "You kidnapped me for your own selfish desires. You're evil." By the end of her speech her voice was almost a whisper.

"You're wrong. I'll prove to you that I can be good." I said with conviction before I left the room. I pulled out my phone as I lay down on the living room couch.

"Victoria, I was wondering if you could pick up a few things for me." I said when she answered.

"Sure. What do you need?" she asked.

**I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow or the next day.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry about the poll. It deleted for some reason.**

**Read the A.N. at the end.**

(BPOV)

Throughout the night, James's words haunted me. I finally fell asleep, but I was plagued with nightmares. Most of them were about Edward being killed, or James trying to kill me. I woke up to bright sunlight streaming in from the windows.

Finally, after much internal debate, I got up from them bed and opened the door. I was shocked to see James standing right on the other side, and apparently he felt the same way. His shock was quickly replaced with a smile though as he lifted the tray he was holding towards me. It was filled with nearly every breakfast food you could think of. Fruit, toast, eggs, small boxes of cereal, bagels, and various drinks covered the tray.

"I was planning on giving you breakfast in bed, but I guess we can eat in the kitchen since you're already up." He smiled again and gestured toward the direction of the kitchen while balancing the tray with the other. I walked passed him and on to the kitchen. I was slightly confused about his behavior, especially considering the fight we had last night. After he left I had cried myself to sleep, and he wasn't there when I woke up, so I figured that he was mad at me.

I entered the kitchen and paused for a moment, surprised by it's splendor. It looked like any other kitchen except for the fact that it was huge. Like the rest of the apartment, it seemed to have a modern theme, with its silver appliances and black countertops. James set the tray down on the breakfast bar, and arranged everything on the counter.

I picked up an apple and took a tentative bite. James was watching me intensely, and it was sort of freaking me out. He had a small smile on his face, and the more I searched, the more I began to think that last night had never happened. Finally I got up my courage and asked James why he had felt the need to bring me breakfast in bed. His answer shocked me.

"I felt bad about last night," _there goes my forgetting theory, _I thought to myself. "I shouldn't have gotten so cross with you, and I wanted to make it up. Hence, breakfast in bed." He finished with a proud smile. I was confused and about to tell James that it was really my fault, but I reminded myself that James had kidnapped me and deserved no pity.

I finished my apple, a piece of toast, and a small Danish that I hadn't seen before. I was drinking the last of my orange juice when James finally broke the silence.

"Are you ready to leave now, or would you rather take a shower first?" James asked as he cleaned up the mess.

"Ready for what?"

"Shopping," he said with a smile on his face. I giggled quietly at his expression. If he had had black spiky hair, and was bouncing up and down, I could've renamed him Alice. He looked confused at my laughter, but I just shook my head.

"I guess I'll shower first." He showed me the bathroom, and said that everything was already in there for me before he left. I tried to relax in the feeling of the hot water, but for once it did nothing to help me. Finally I turned the water off, and was about to get out when I realized that I had forgotten something important. Clothes. I stepped out of the shower, and saw a pile of clothes waiting on the counter. I assumed that James had bought me clothes, but I was proved wrong when I moved closer to put them on. They were my clothes, but they weren't the clothes I had worn yesterday. I quickly put them on, dried my hair, and went to find James.

He was sitting in the living room, and smiled as he saw me walk in.

"You look beautiful." He was about to say something else, but he stopped when he saw my angry expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked confused.

"How did you get this?" I asked gesturing to my outfit.

"I asked Victoria if she could get you something to wear for tomorrow, and she suggested that you would feel more comfortable if you had something familiar to wear." She was wrong. How could I feel comfort knowing that a non-vegetarian vampire had been in the same place Charlie and I lived in, never mind the fact that she was in my room?

"If she even thought about hurting Charlie in any way…" I began. James hurried to stop me and explain.

"No, no. Victoria made sure that your father was gone when she got the clothes." I sighed in relief. James expression brightened as he saw my anger fade away, and he hurried to change the subject. "Are you ready to leave now?" I wasn't ready, but I knew that I needed to go. I nodded, and we headed to the elevator.

When the elevator opened to the parking garage, James disappeared. A moment later a sleek dark blue car pulled up. The car was amazing. It looked like some kind of foreign sports car, and it looked fast. James stepped out of the car with a smug smile on his face. **(Please don't hate me for my lack of car knowledge.)**

"Like the car?" I could only nod. He opened the door for me, revealing the dark leather interior. I got in and had barely buckled my seat belt before James was in the car and speeding off. He drove even faster than Edward, and it really scared me. He was still smiling, but when he saw my terrified expression, his smile disappeared, and he slowed down. I took a deep breath when the needle finally moved from the 165 mark to 95 mph.

"Are you okay?" he asked me cautiously. I nodded. "I'm sorry I frightened you." he said repentant.

"Just try not to kill me again please." I said still a little breathless. He nodded and turned his attention back to the road. "So where to?" I asked after I had calmed my heart down.

"I was thinking that we could just walk around New York City, and check out a few stores."

"Sounds good." I said.

We went to more than _a few stores_. The first couple of stores we hadn't found anything, so James said that they didn't count. When I asked him how he knew what to look for, he said that Victoria gave him a list. We were walking down one of the streets, after parking the car a little ways off, when I saw a store that I actually wanted to go into. What had caught my eye was the mannequin in the front window. It showed off an amazing jean jacket. I went inside, and found a sales clerk.

"How can I help you?" she asked politely.

"Can you tell me how much that jacket is?" I asked pointing to the jacket in the window. She smiled.

"That is one of our most recent collections, and it's quite popular. That'll be 135." My jaw dropped. 135 dollars for a jacket!

"Um… thanks for your help, but I don't think I'll get it after all." She smiled in understanding, and wished me a good day. I turned around to find James standing behind me with a confused expression.

"Why didn't you buy the jacket?"

"I didn't have enough money for it." A long with some of my clothes, Victoria had grabbed my purse and my favorite copy of Wuthering Heights. I hadn't used my purse since the night in Port Angeles, so I still had about 125 dollars in it. James confused expression changed into an amused but frustrated one.

"I could have bought it for you." He said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. I hadn't thought of that and the apartment thing was starting to gnaw at my conscious, so I asked him something I had begun to wonder about to change the subject.

"James where are you getting all of this money?" he smiled at me, but motioned with his eyes that there were too many people here. I was about to walk out of the store, but James grabbed my wrist before I could. I turned to him, and was surprised at the determined expression on his face.

"I'm buying it for you." His tone left no room for arguing, so I reluctantly said fine. James walked up to the sales clerk from before, and said that he wanted to buy the jean jacket in the window. He was smiling at her, and even from a distance, I could tell that she was dazzled. She shook her head, smiled, and then left to grab the jacket.

Five minutes later James and I were walking out of the store and back to the car. James opened my door for me, and put the bag in the back seat. It was about noon, so James suggested we talk on the way to the restaurant. He started the car and pulled into the busy street.

"Okay, so back to my question. Where are you getting all of this money?"

"Despite my appearance, I'm not actually 25 years old."

"I know about the age thing." I explained, so he could get on with the story. He smiled at me.

"Good, then I don't have to explain it. Ok so I was born sometime in the 1500's. I'm not sure, but I think the year was 1508. Since my change in 1533, I have acquired many artifacts. Plus all of the money I had then is worth a lot more now. Before now I had no use for the money, so I was just useless. When I met you though, I wanted you to live in comfort, so I sold the artifacts, and cashed in the money. I now have about 350,000,000 dollars in my account, and all of it is for the sole purpose of making you happy." I was speechless for many reasons. First of all, I couldn't believe that James was born in 1508. Secondly, the amount of money he had was ridiculous. Lastly, there was no way that I expected all of that money to be for me.

"Bella," he said cautiously when I had been silent for a few moments. After another minute I answered.

"Sorry, it's just a lot to take in," he laughed.

"The money or my age?" I laughed too.

"I guess both." I said.

"I guess we'll just have to work on that." He smiled, and turned his attention back to the road.

(EPOV)

I really wish that I didn't have to do this, but I knew that there was no other way. I opened the door, and let Charlie in. He didn't stall, but went straight to the questions.

"You said something happened to Bella. Is she okay? Where is she?" he thoughts weren't as polite as his questions. _I knew something like this was going to happen. Why did I let them talk me into allowing this? I don't care if the boy is a vampire, if he hurt Bella, I'll kill him._

"Bella's been kidnapped." I said quickly, hoping to get this over with as quickly as possible. He did not take the news lightly.

"What?" he yelled. "How in the world was she kidnapped? You guys are vampires, and you said you were taking care of her."

"She was kidnapped by James." Carlisle had explained the James situation with Charlie already, but his eyes only bugged out more.

"A vampire that kills humans has my daughter?" Charlie screamed. I nodded my head again. I_'m going after her. _He said in his mind.

"I'm sorry, but you can't do that Charlie." He looked confused for a second, until he remembered what Carlisle had told him about me.

"Stay out of my head." He almost growled at me. "I'm going after Bella, and there's no way you're going to stop me." On the contrary, it would take almost no effort to stop him, but I decided now was not the time to mention that.

"You can't go after Bella because James would know that you're coming. He'll just take Bella somewhere else, and this time we might not be able to find her." He sighed and put his head in his hands.

"Do you know where they are?" his voice sounded tired.

"New York." Charlie sucked in a deep breath, and, trying to stop himself from yelling at me again, repeated in his head that it was not my fault, no matter how much I disagreed. I explained to Charlie that we needed a story to explain why Bella was gone. After a few ideas, we finally decided that we would tell everyone that Bella had left to go back to Phoenix.

Charlie wished us luck, and got up to leave. He turned at the door.

"New York is a big place. Do you have any clue where to look?"

"He wants to eat only animals to try to win Bella over, so he'll be somewhere secluded, with a low population of people."

"Just promise me one thing Edward." I already knew what he was going to say, but I knew it would make him feel better if he said it out loud. "Promise me you'll bring her back safe." He said as he turned back to his car and left.

"I promise." And I did. I would rather die than let anything hurt Bella.

**Gasp the Cullens are searching in the wrong place. SO in this chapter James became a millionaire, Bella and James started to bond, and Charlie started to think of ways to kill Edward. Oh the fun. **

**Something I forgot to tell you in the earlier chapter was that pictures of the apartment are on my profile, and for a limited time I will have the picture of Bella's jacket as my icon. Also I am going to have a poll that will determine the future of this story. Please vote.**

**Not as important, but if anyone can guess my real name, I will send them an excerpt from what I hope will be in the next chapter.**

**Review. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

James pulled up the car in front of a line of stores. He unbuckled his seat belt, got out of the car, and opened my door all in the same second. Apparently he wasn't as worried as the Cullens were about somebody seeing him. Then again everyone was so busy with their own lives that they wouldn't notice someone moving strangely fast, and if they did, they'd probably chalk it up to their eyes playing tricks on them. He held out his hand to help me out of the car. I eyed it warily, causing James to sigh in exasperation.

"I'm just trying to help you out of the car Bella. I promise not to do anything other than that." He promised. I tentatively took his hand. True to his word, he helped me out of the car, smiled at me, then let go of my hand immediately after. We walked down the sidewalk for a block until we got to a small restaurant. The name of the restaurant was Landmarc, and it had a very modern look to it. We walked in the door and up to the hostess. It was after most people's lunch break, so the restaurant wasn't very busy.

"Welcome to Landmarc. Table for two?" the hostess asked politely. She was very pretty, and it was obvious that she was attracted to James, but she still smiled at me, and tried to put her personal feelings aside. I admired her for that.

"Yes please." James said in a smooth tone.

"Booth or table?" James looked at me. I blushed and quietly said booth. Ever since I was a little girl I always preferred to have a booth. I think it had something to do with one too many falling chair incidents. Yes booths were much safer.

The hostess led us to our booth, and left after giving us our menus, and telling us our waiter would be out here shortly. I picked up the menu and quickly decided on having a Landmarc burger, and a mango iced tea. **(Yum. Shoot now I'm hungry) **

Our waiter arrived quickly, but when I saw the expression on his face change, as he looked me up and down, I wished he hadn't. He had an almost stunned expression on his face, but he quickly changed it into a 'seductive' smile.

"Hi. I'm Nick, and I'll be your server today. What can I get a pretty lady like yourself?" as he spoke, he tried to make his voice sound alluring, and leaned slightly toward me. It was all I could do not to gag in disgust.

"I'll have a Landmarc burger and a mango iced tea please." It wasn't hard to make my voice sound cold and disgusted. The hard part was getting it through his head.

"Of course. Is there anything else I can get you?" he asked and leaned in closer. I was about to tell him to back off, but James beat me to it.

"Ya. How bout a small coffee, black?" he turned to James annoyed, but after apparently dubbing himself the better choice, smirked and answered with fake politeness.

"Right away, sir." Luckily he had to leave then to give the chef our orders. James glared at his back the entire time. As soon as he was through the doors I sighed in relief. James looked toward me at my sigh and smiled apologetically.

"Would you like me to get another server?" James asked kindly. I did, but I shook my head.

"He's harmless." At first it was silent while we waited for our food. After a little while though, James started to ask me questions about my life. I first I only answered in short sentences, but after a few minutes I began to loosen up. He only asked me question about my life in Phoenix, after I started to get depressed about all the things I was missing in Forks. All though lunch he quizzed me.

Nick had bought our food halfway though our conversation, and was about to interrupt, but unfortunately for him another of his customers needed him. We were happily Nick-free the rest of lunch, but of course he found a way to talk to me before we left.

"Hey." He said as he walked up to our table. He put his hands on the table and leaned toward me again. I faintly heard James make a low growling sound. "I get off in a few minutes. If you want, I can show you the real New York." He lowered his voice at the end, in an attempt to make it husky, but all it did was creep me out even more.

"No thanks." I said hoping he would get the hint and back off. Of course he didn't.

"Come on baby. Why hang around with the stiff? I can show you a good time." He was so close to me now that I had to back up just to breathe.

"Nick." Someone said angrily. We all turned to see an angry girl with black hair pulled up in a twist walking toward us. "You have other tables to attend." She glared at him, and he stalked off. She turned to us with a sheepish look on her face.

"I'm sorry about Nick. I was joking around with him in the kitchen that he should distract you so I could move in on your friend. I was only kidding, but I guess he took it as more than a joke. I'm sorry that he was bothering you." She looked like a kind person, and sadly she reminded me of Angela.

"It's okay…" I paused for a second, not knowing her name.

"Lizzie." she filled in for me quickly, holding out her hand.

"Bella." I said shaking it. "I believe that you didn't mean any harm, and I'm glad you came out here and tried to help." Lizzie smiled at me graciously.

"Thanks for understanding. I'm sorry I ruined your date." I froze, horror seeping it my mind. Is that what this looked like to other people, a date? I heard James tell her quietly that this wasn't a date, but I couldn't focus on her reply. I was too horrorstruck by my own thoughts. How could I have done this to Edward? How could I have forgotten that James was the one who had kidnapped me? The one who had taken me away from the people I love. But here I was having lunch with him and talking like old friends. I couldn't believe how I had acted. I should be trying to figure out a way to get help not shopping for clothes.

That thought stumped me. How _would_ I get help?_ If I told someone that he had kidnapped me, he would just take us somewhere else, or_… I stopped myself there, I didn't want to think about the _or. There's no way I could escape on my own, and James prevented Alice from seeing us. _The sound of James calling my name brought me out of my musings.

"Bella." I was about to answer out of habit, but then I remembered what Lizzie had said. I just continued staring out the window of the car instead. I didn't remember getting in the car, but I was pretty out of it for a while. A hurricane could have hit, and I wouldn't have noticed.

"Bella please talk to me. I'm sorry that what the waitress said upset you, but I need you to understand that it was never my intention for lunch to become a date. Please don't let one little word ruin everything." I bristled at that, and turned to see James cringing, and trying to backpedal.

"Bella I-" he began, trying to reason with me. I cut him off

"What do you mean, everything, James? There is no everything! There can never be anything because, as I've told you already, I love Edward!" James had a sad but frustrated look on his face.

"Bella. Please just listen." He added when he saw that I was going to interrupt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that. When I said everything, I didn't mean it romantically. I meant the trust you were starting to put in me. Your trust is very important to me, and you have no idea how frustrated I am with myself that one word destroyed that trust. Bella I saw how much it hurt you when that waitress assumed we were on a date, and that hurt me too. It hurt me that you thought I would try to trick you into going on a date with me. I know you don't believe me but I love you, and when, if, " I glared at his assumption, causing him to change it. "we get together, I want it to be because you love me too."

I opened my mouth to answer, but he stopped the car and got out before I could. He opened the door for me and bent down so he could speak to me eye to eye. I wasn't comfortable with the small amount of space between us, but found that I couldn't back up.

"Bella I truly am sorry for what happened. Please let me make it up to you." I was confused, but understood as soon as he got up and helped me out of the car. Giving me a clear view of where we were now parked.

"No James." I said forcefully.

"Bella please just allow me this. You'll need a few any way."

"Why in the world would I need an expensive dress, let alone a few?"

"It's already been decided Bella." He said ignoring my question. "I've arranged it with the manager, so we have the whole store to ourselves, and the will be a someone to help you find whatever you need." Without waiting for me to respond, he led me into the store.

Almost immediately a sales clerk came up to us. I sighed in relief when I saw her. I had been imaging someone who would be overly happy, and try to act like we were best friends having fun at the mall. I liked the look of this lady though. She was in her late twenties and smiling, but she looked like a no nonsense kind of person. She shook my hand and introduced herself as Linda.

"Bella," I said. From behind me I heard James chuckle lightly. "Why are you laughing?" I said, still angry that he had forced me into this. He shrugged his shoulders and said,

"It's not that funny, but I thought it was kind of interesting that both of your names mean beautiful in another language." Linda and I looked at each other and laughed at the random comment. Even though we had just met, I felt like she was someone I could relate to. Soon however she said the dreaded words.

"So what kind of dress are you looking for?" I groaned as James told her that I would need a few party dresses, and a few fancy dresses. She looked at me questioningly.

"I hate it when people spend money on me, and I am super clumsy. Therefore I should not be here." She laughed at my words then put her hand on my arm and led me to the dressing rooms. I calmed down marginally with her touch, and briefly wondered if she would have the same power as Jasper if she were a vampire.

"I'll pick out some things for you, so all you have to do is try them on." I nodded gratefully at her, and told her my dress size before sitting down on one of the chairs.

"Please don't get anything too flashy." I told her before she walked away. James came and sat in the chair next to me to wait. 5 minutes later Linda came back with her arms full of clothes. She pushed me into one of the rooms and handed me the clothes.

The first two dresses I tried on were entirely black. One was sleeveless and floor length, while the other was halter topped and had a torn pattern about knee length. I tried on what seemed like hundreds of dresses, and almost all of them fit me perfectly. It gave me a wide variety to choose from, and I actually found myself picking out my favorites, and handing them to Linda, who in turn, handed them to James.

Finally we were down to the last dress. I looked down at the dress Linda had just given me.

"No, Linda." I shouted over the door. She just told me to try it on and show them. Throughout the entire time I had been showing them the dresses, even going so far as to do a few joking poses. James eyes had been lit up with excitement and adoration the entire time, though he had been silent. Linda on the other hand had commented on each dress.

I walked out of the dressing room in the dress, and saw James's innocent expression of joy change drastically. As soon as he registered what I was wearing his eyes turned black, and he stopped breathing.

The dress I was wearing was sky blue, floor length, and very revealing. It had a shallow v-neck neckline and was covered in rhinestones, but the sides were cut out along with most of the back. The only thing covering my back, as I spun around shyly, was the criss-cross strings holding it up, and the material that didn't start again until right above my butt.

I couldn't believe that I had actually walked out in this thing. It didn't matter how much I liked it. There was no way I was wearing it again. I turned to go back into the room, my face stained permanently red, but Linda caught my arm.

"I can't believe I just did that." I whispered to her, mortified.

"Bella, that's what's supposed to happen," she whispered in my ear, referring to James's reaction.

"I like the dress," I confided in her, "but I can't pull it off." She shook her head, and turned to go back to where James was still sitting rigidly. Luckily that was the last dress, so I quickly changed back into my old clothes, and left to meet James at the register.

(JPOV)

I was ecstatic, as Bella headed into the dressing rooms to try on the pile of clothes Linda had handed her. I think it had something to do with the way I was brought up, but something about a woman in a dress just made my day. I couldn't even imagine what seeing Bella in one would do for me.**(EW James that sounds gross)**

All of the dresses she tried on looked fantastic on her, some more than others. I already had a large pile of her favorites ready to check out. I was having a fun time watching her mess around, and strike poses, Linda and her had clicked almost instantly, that is until she came out in the last dress.

"No, Linda." I heard her shout from the dressing room.

"Just put it on and show us Bella." Linda told her. I heard Bella sigh angrily before she opened the door. I could feel my eyes turn black instantly, and I stopped breathing. I tried desperately to ignore the desire I was feeling as she spun in the dress slowly.

The dress itself looked stunning on her. It had a neckline that wasn't to revealing, but that in no way made up for the rest of it. The sides and back of the dress were non-existent, leaving an incredible view of her soft skin. Her fair skin contrasted perfectly with the color of the dress. I could feel the chair begin to give in under my grip as my eyes followed the contours of her back until the material finally become visible once again, right when I wish it wouldn't.

I tried to close my eyes against the torturous sight, but found that I couldn't. As she walked away it took all of my power to stop myself from claiming her as mine right there. She unconsciously swung her hips back and forth as she walked, and I couldn't help but watch. She stopped for a second to talk to Linda, but finally she was out of sight. After a few moments I drew in a shaky breath. There was no way we were going to leave without that dress.

I saw Linda walking back toward me with an angry and frustrated expression. She cut me off before I had a chance to ask if she was okay.

"What is wrong with her?"

"What do you mean?" I asked defensively, but still slightly breathless. There was no way she was going to talk bad about Bella on my watch.

"Why is she so blind? She is one of the most beautiful girls I've seen, and it's so natural she thinks nothing of it. She's extremely kind which only adds to her beauty yet when I told her that she looked great in the dress she said 'I love it, but I could never pull it off.'" I saw now that Linda was never mad at Bella. She was mad at how poorly Bella saw herself. At smiled gently at her.

"It's the way Bella is. There's no changing her." She sighed and agreed quietly that that was a good thing.

"It's amazing how much you love her." Linda said softly. I smiled at her words, but pain crossed my features before I could stop it at the thought that she would never love me back.

"She doesn't love me." I said, pain lacing every word. Linda put a comforting hand on my shoulder. I tensed at the contact. Bella's blood smelled amazing to me, but I was so distracted by everything else about her that I barely noticed it. Unfortunately though the same didn't apply to Linda. After hunting for so long, it was actually painful not to sooth my thirst instantly, and I had to fight myself to remember that I liked Linda, and how much it would hurt Bella if I hurt her. Linda continued on, unaware of the struggle I was having against killing her or not.

"Don't give up. I can tell how much you love her, and it's impossible to ignore that kind of devotion." I tried to distract myself by carrying on with the conversation.

"She has someone else."

"And where is this someone else." _He's on the other side of the country because I kidnapped Bella away from him, _ya that would go over well. I decided to tell half-truths instead.

"He's actually in Washington. I surprised Bella with this trip as a way to try to get her away from him, so I could spend some time with her."

"Well you've accomplished that. Now you need a plan to woe her." I told her about my plans for Bella tonight and she agreed to help.

(BPOV)

When I caught up with James and Linda at the front of the store they were both smiling. _Well that's not at all suspicious, _I thought to myself.

"Hey guys." I said cautiously as I approached them. "What's going on?"

"James invited me over for dinner tonight." Linda said happily. I smiled at her, happy that we had gotten along so well, and that she was going to come over.

"Well I guess that means we'll have to get some groceries." I said, thinking about what to make since James couldn't taste anything and Linda was the guest. I was actually relieved that she was coming over for dinner. I didn't want anymore alone time with James. Who knew what that would lead to.

"Actually I was planning on eating at this nice restaurant I've heard of." I looked over at James wondering why his normally smooth voice sounded strained. What I saw immediately filled me with dread though. At the end of her statement, Linda had put her hand on James's shoulder. His eyes were now black with thirst, and he looked as if he was in pain. James felt my stare and looked over at me. Pleading me with his eyes to help him.

"Linda," I said trying to distract her. " I decided to get the dress." Just like I expected she clapped her hands together happily and ran to grab the dress from its place in the dressing room. James breathed a sigh of relief, and looked over at me. His posture looked tired but amused. His voice was smooth once again as he spoke in low tones, his eyes hinting at an emotion I wasn't sure I wanted to identify.

"So you decided to get that amazing dress." I blushed and mumbled back.

"I was just trying to help." The smile on his face stayed, but his eyes became softer.

"Yes thank you for that." He leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Though I'm going to have to hunt tonight." I couldn't help it; I flinched. James pulled back at my flinch, and when I turned to look at him I could see the pain in his eyes.

"I didn't mean people, Bella." He said quietly. I nodded and turned to Linda who was returning with a few large bags and a credit card that she handed to James. I looked exasperatedly over at him, but he just shrugged his shoulders and forced a smile. The pain was still visible in his eyes though. I had hurt him deeply. For a second I felt guilty, but I quickly pushed those feelings aside.

"Well I've got a few errands to run." James said in a slightly more cheerful mood. "So I was planning on just dropping you guys off at the apartment. You know, to let you have some time to get ready and talk."

"Sounds ok with me." I said. Linda agreed.

"Ok then," James said gesturing to where the car sat on the road. "Let's head out."

**I am sooooooo sorry for the wait. This chapter was really hard for me and with the first few months of school starting I've had to deal with quite a bit of drama. I promise that never again will I make you guys wait so long for a chapter. I hope you liked this one.**


	14. Important but not crucial

I have returned... kinda. I have a long story of why I haven't been updating, including my own James ;), and if anyone wants to know they can PM me. In the the long time I've been away my writing has gotten a lot better, and I plan to re-write this story. Mostly just editing, no change of plot or anything, but I will continue. The story will be better this time around. Don't expect regular updates because though writing is a deep passion of mine I have other projects and my life outside writing to focus on. I'm so thankful to everyone who has read and reviewed this story and when the end finally comes I hope it meets your expectations.

- Sincerely Escrivain Inspire :)


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